Imperial German captured Enfield made No. 1 Mk.III Rifle

[Absolut]

The front end of the front handguard is missing, unfortunately. But I might somewhen find a part that I can cut apart and use as spare. Also the rifle has a rather unique "conversion" of the magazine. Instead of a magazine it features a plate that simply closes the bottom even. It can be opened using the normal magazine catch. A bit odd, almost like an empty brass catcher, but very well could also be a former German "single shot conversion", since I bought it in Germany.

The most important part is anyway the near pristine stock that carries the DEUTSCHES REICH capture stamp in it. The brass disc also has an unit marking on it. The rifle otherwise is all matching numbers, including the bayonet lug which I had forgotten to take pictures of. It has very nice original blueing.

 

[Transam1998]

Absolutely gorgeous. An Enfield is very high on my list to add to my collection this year.

 

[cj556]

Man that’s really something. I’ve never seen a German marked Enfield before. I’ve seen Mosins, Lebels and Belgian 89s. Are there other Imperial German Enfields known?

 

[flynaked]

Coolest rifle I’ve seen in a while, that is really neat, and I’m not even an Enfield guy!

 

[Absolut]

Man that’s really something. I’ve never seen a German marked Enfield before. I’ve seen Mosins, Lebels and Belgian 89s. Are there other Imperial German Enfields known?

Within the last month there sold another Enfield SMLE with "DEUTSCHES REICH" capture stamp. But aside of these two I never saw another one.

 

[Bigdibbs88]

That is amazing. Never even heard of one of these

 

[Absolut]

Found the one that recently sold: https://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=12811955 (note to the data hoarders, just like on gunbroker the pictures will only be visible for a limited time - 90 days after the auction end. So save them, if you want to document it).

 

[Tom H]

Too cool! Thanks for posting.

 

[Guillaume d'Orange]

Very cool to see this captured rifle !
However, I'm not surprised, in his war diaries published after he died, Ernst Jünger narrates some raids of English trenches (Cambrai 1917 and during Operation Michael). Germans were taking everything they could find as war booty: weapons of course, but also, coats, bread, tobacco, socks.
He got his sixth injury, because he was wearing an English coat when coming back to his trench and a fellow German soldier shot him thinking he was a Tommy.

 

[Loewe]

MauserBill had one of these, though not German marked, - I believe the cut-off is designed to allow the magazine as a reserve, single shot and then the magazine is opened when the need arose to fire rapidly. At least that is my recollection from Bill's rifle, which was very original and exceptional.

Perhaps this rifle came from this battlefield... one of the neatest (saddest) pictures I have ever encountered.

 

[Absolut]

Yes Paul, the British magazine cut-off is more complicated and larger than the US one (just a simple switch on the side of the action). Basically it was meant that you have a full magazine and shoot single rounds hand fed, but when needed you could use up the complete magazine. So technically you are correct, that rifle would not had needed the "magazine conversion" it has to make it a single shot rifle. But this aspect is anyway a post war conversion by whoever, I suppose due to German firearms law to turn it into a single shot rifle.

The more important detail is the stamp applied to the stock which I up until my rifle had not seen before.

 

[Loewe]

Yes Paul, the British magazine cut-off is more complicated and larger than the US one (just a simple switch on the side of the action). Basically it was meant that you have a full magazine and shoot single rounds hand fed, but when needed you could use up the complete magazine. So technically you are correct, that rifle would not had needed the "magazine conversion" it has to make it a single shot rifle. But this aspect is anyway a post war conversion by whoever, I suppose due to German firearms law to turn it into a single shot rifle.

The more important detail is the stamp applied to the stock which I up until my rifle had not seen before.

I was just relating my experience with Mauserbill's rifle, I have only fired a SMLE twice, - not Bill's rifle - but I thought you were describing the same experience (device). Actually I was impressed by the quality of the rifle, wanted to get one back in the 1980's but they were pretty hard to find in my experience, at least undicked with examples.

 

[Bavarian Joe]

Stock disc.

The disc is marked for the Royal Leicester Regiment. It's early enough to have gone over with one of the regular battalions in 1914.

 

[tsmgguy]

wanted to get one back in the 1980's but they were pretty hard to find in my experience, at least undicked with examples.

The 1980s and '90s were the heyday of the John Jovino NYC imported rifles. They came in all conditions, including new/unissued. That was the time to get one. Nice ones could run as high as $395.

 

[plymouthmauser]

MauserBill had one of these, though not German marked, - I believe the cut-off is designed to allow the magazine as a reserve, single shot and then the magazine is opened when the need arose to fire rapidly. At least that is my recollection from Bill's rifle, which was very original and exceptional.

Perhaps this rifle came from this battlefield... one of the neatest (saddest) pictures I have ever encountered.

Wonder if the Mauser in the left foreground belonged to the photographer.
t

 

[Loewe]

Wonder if the Mauser in the left foreground belonged to the photographer.
t

My thoughts as well, but I suspect few stormtroopers carried cameras... Still with the 98a bolt open, a round clearly visible in the open magazine, suggests a real time scene, appears realistic I think.

 

[Absolut]

That picture is disturbing. While one could consider they are asleep, I'm afraid both are dead.

The Enfield rifle in front has a grenade discharger cup on it, as well as the rifle has a closed bolt which is not cocked. The 98a rifle has an open bolt but a full magazine. I do not think this is an actual battle scene, but rather what is left over from an attack - given the position of the rifles maybe even a gas attack.

 

[Guillaume d'Orange]

Gruesome photo.

It is almost impossible to say how these two English soldiers died. However, I seem to make out blood dripping from the nose and the back of the neck of the soldier at the center of the pic. He also seems to have an exit wound (dark circular shape) in his back (or his coat is badly messed up !).

Some soldiers on both sides were convinced to live a "unique experience", hence the pics (for those who could afford a camera) and the war diaries.

 

[Loewe]

The photo was a from an album, came as set of two pictures glued to a page (clearly cut from a larger collection). The other a German soldier shot dead charging, rifle along side, not sure the purpose of the pair but possibly to illustrate the barbarity and senselessness of the war, which was a general theme (sentiment) after the war. Possibly no war has ever carried more credibility to that sentiment or claim. It was the most shameful (and consequential) war of the 20th Century, possibly of known world history. I can't think of a more senseless war, either way, one of such scale, scope and senselessness.

Perhaps a clue could be taken from the scribble under each picture, I will try and add the other picture tomorrow, maybe Georg or Wolfgang can attempt a translation, it is German, the other picture only states gerfallen (sp) which is pretty explanatory.

 

[Guillaume d'Orange]

The photo was a from an album, came as set of two pictures glued to a page (clearly cut from a larger collection). The other a German soldier shot dead charging, rifle along side, not sure the purpose of the pair but possibly to illustrate the barbarity and senselessness of the war, which was a general theme (sentiment) after the war. Possibly no war has ever carried more credibility to that sentiment or claim. It was the most shameful (and consequential) war of the 20th Century, possibly of known world history. I can't think of a more senseless war, either way, one of such scale, scope and senselessness.

Perhaps a clue could be taken from the scribble under each picture, I will try and add the other picture tomorrow, maybe Georg or Wolfgang can attempt a translation, it is German, the other picture only states gerfallen (sp) which is pretty explanatory.

Hi Paul, what I can make out is "Engl[ischer] Graben [...] Männer". It doesn't add much, but perhaps, as you say, Georg or Wolgang can decypher what's written in the middle.
My bet is that this pic was taken in or after 1916 : this was the year when rifle grenades were the most used and there was a progressive reversal from static warfare to mobile warfare.